The Straight and Arrow
by MyPetRhinoceros
Summary: In ten short years, a mysterious group called Team Comet has turned life on an island paradise into a struggle to survive. Now people use Pokémon to attack each other directly, and violence is everywhere. Can a prophecy about three outsiders change all that? A devious empire and a resistance lead to an epic battle for the fate of Pokémon everywhere. T for violence and darker stuff.
1. The Discovery

The Discovery

**A/N: If you're reading this, that means my revised (and MUCH more exciting) version of Chapter 1 is up. Congratulations! For anyone who's read my story before, this chapter's got a big new event in it, so read on! For any new people, welcome. And to everyone, hope you like it!**

**For all my readers, this story's very OC-based. If you want one of your OCs in here, please read all the stuff I've got so far and PM me. I'll see what I can do.**

**Another thing, this story's got some preeeeetty dark stuff in it. There's death *gasp* and violence, etc. NOT exactly a happy-fun-time thing, but this is what I'm into! **

**Finally, to anyone who's worried about this, YEP, this fic's got girls (only one in these first couple chapters), and, eventually, romance, although that's never going to be the focus of the story.**

**Disclaimer: In case you were wondering… I don't own Pokémon. Wish I did though, I'd be filthy rich!**

**And, without further ado, The Straight and Arrow!**

* * *

It had been the most normal day in the world, no doubt about it.

A seemingly regular man stood on the roof of a seemingly regular 17-story building in the middle of illustrious Perimore City as the wind blew through his short brown hair. Looking out into the afternoon sun, the thuggish man spit over the side of the building. He wore seemingly regular clothes, nothing special, just a T-shirt, hoodie, and jeans; he had to be the most casual CEO in the business.

This was his daily think time. A time to clear his mind while surveying the expansive cityscape. He had to have it, or he knew he'd go crazy. Some said he already was. But that wasn't true. He just had… rather violent mood swings sometimes.

To his right perched a relaxed Salamence. The dragon Pokémon shook its head in the wind and flapped its huge wings. It blinked once and shuffled its heavy feet as it gazed into the distance.

The two had been standing there peacefully for about half an hour when a woman with bright red hair and a lab coat burst through the metal double doors that led to the roof. As he spun around, the man's hair immediately stood on end. This was not a woman whose visits he enjoyed very much.

"Sir? Mr. Lewis, sir?" She was a woman, not more than 35, with a clipboard practically attached to her right hand. A Pokémon scientist, as the man recalled. What was her name again? God, he hated her. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? "I need to talk to you," she persisted, "it's important."

"What?" Mr. Lewis was in no mood to be disturbed, but this lady wouldn't go away, not now, not ever.

"Well, I guess it's really more of a question. I already think I know the answer, but…" The woman hesitated for a couple seconds before going on. She was not comfortable confronting the man who stood before her. If she was right about him… it wasn't a good thing. "Sir… Have you been threatening people with your Pokémon?" His reaction was evident immediately as the man's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Quickly, she added, "I-I only ask because, in one of my visions, I saw… Well, it was you. You were making some deal with a man in a black suit, I couldn't see him very well… And he seemed to shake his head a lot, like he wasn't going along with it." The man's shoulders tensed up visibly as she continued. "Well, then all of a sudden you had your Jolteon out with you. And you yelled at the man to do what you said. He cowered in the corner but gave in…" A pause as the man before her grew more and more nervous. "…That's it," she breathed. "Is it… Is it true?"

_How can she possibly know that?!_ thought the man, anger welling up inside of him. Everyone knew Professor Dumas (_oh, that's her name!_) was crazy. She thought she had these "psychic visions" or whatever… But that kind of crap wasn't real… Was it? How did the entire island not write her off as insane? Even so, as much as he hated to admit it, Mr. Lewis knew this vision was spot on.

But what could he do about it? She would expose him as a criminal and destroy the company he had spent years to build. _No_, he decided. _I can't let that happen_. Rage filled him more and more, and he quickly grew uncontrollable. _I'll have to… kill her. She can't walk off of this roof knowing things like that!_ For the first time in his life, a horrifying idea stuck him, and he smiled evilly. Not a second later, the command was on his lips.

"Salamence, flamethrower!" he screeched, eyes boring into his partner's.

The Pokémon looked back at him, confused. _On what?_ it wondered. There weren't any other Pokémon around, and they were on top of a building.

It looked like the professor hadn't figured it out yet, either. Her face was equally as puzzled.

One gesture from the man's eyes told Salamence all it needed to know. At first it shot Mr. Lewis a horrified look, but the man's furious eyes told the Salamence to obey or else.

"Do it!" yelled Mr. Lewis. He was a completely different person now. Nostrils flaring and eyes full of malice, this was not the same man that had stood in his spot only moments ago, staring out peacefully at the occasional flock of Pidgey.

Finally, Professor Dumas' face registered recognition. _He's not… He can't…_ All of a sudden she was too terrified to form even coherent thoughts. But it was too late. Salamence had decided to follow its orders.

At that moment, a bright red flame shot out from Salamence's mouth, straight toward the woman, and though she was now running, the blaze caught her in the back and she collapsed right away, on fire.

There were no shrieks, no cries for help. Instead, Alice Dumas was having her final vision.

Without thinking, the now viciously angry man jumped on Salamence's back. He was still aware enough to know they had to get the hell out of there, and fast. _Never mind the body,_ he thought. _No one will guess that it was a Pokémon_. "Fly, Salamence! Take us far away from here!"

With that, Salamence charged towards the edge, flapping its enormous wings and taking off at breakneck speed. It zipped past building after building, trying to forget what it had just done.

The man on its back was thinking very different thoughts. His rage was subsiding, and now his thoughts were rational again. Still, there was one thing he couldn't deny, one thing that scared him to death: what he had done just now was the most fun he'd ever had. There had been nothing that thrilled him that much in his entire life. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if… just every so often… he let off steam like this? Could that really hurt anything?

As the evil man flew away, Alice was just waking up from her vision. And boy, had it been an important one. As soon as she could feel, though, she was in intense pain. Flames still licked her body, and she knew there wasn't much time left. She had to write her vision down, somehow, some way, before her time was up.

Then it hit her. Her clipboard! It was lying a couple feet away with her trusty pen. With the last ounces of her strength, she crawled over to them, even as her life oozed out of her. She lifted the pen carefully and scrawled her final message as well as she could. It took her less than a minute.

And then, Alice Dumas collapsed on the rooftop. Forgotten. Alone. Dead.

* * *

**Ten Years Later**

* * *

Caleb Faraday stared out a small hole into a magnificent blue ocean feeling more than a little uneasy. He was on board a large ship, and every time it rocked on the nighttime waves, Caleb's stomach lurched a little more.

It wasn't just that making Caleb feel nervous. The ship was headed straight for an island that seemed like it would never come. It was some sort of expedition… Caleb didn't know the details. All he knew was that his dad was a… well, he was a "something-ologist," and part of his job was to explore uncharted territory. So he had brought a couple of colleagues along to help… _Blah, blah, blah, _thought Caleb. The truth was, all Caleb cared about was that his friends were there. Ah, his friends. He glanced around the dark, moonlit room where all three of them were staying.

Caleb's eyes came to rest on the sleeping body of Luke Pierce. Luke had been Caleb's best friend for as long as he could remember. Usually, Luke couldn't shut up when he was around Caleb, or anyone else for that matter. Even in his sleep, Luke was snoring loudly with his mouth open, his short, brown hair matted against the pillow. Caleb couldn't stop a smile from creeping over his face as he rolled his eyes at his friend.

And then there was Blake Holloway, the sleeping lump in the other bed. Blake turned in his sleep, knocking his and Luke's glasses off of the nightstand with a _klink_. He and Caleb went way back, too, but Blake was very different from Luke. Blake was a serious guy who always tried to make the right decision. Even so, Caleb knew those green eyes could burn through you if Blake was angry, which is why no one ever got Blake angry. Asleep in his bed, though, Blake was peaceful as he could be.

Caleb looked back out the small porthole at the unchanging ocean. He was still nervous about the exploration. His friends had both come to these things before, and this was his first time. _An island of mystery…_ he thought. _Nah, it'll probably be boring. After all, we're only here because our dads made us come. _At least his two best friends would be there.

Finally, Caleb's eyelids drooped and he slid down under the covers. As he slipped into a deep sleep, Caleb could have had no idea what was about to happen. He couldn't have known the safest thing for him to do would be to abandon ship and swim home. He couldn't have known all the danger that awaited them. It would have to wait until the morning.

* * *

On the island, a thug and his watchman partner strolled along a balcony atop a lighthouse.

"It's a ship! It's really there!" The watchman, the smaller of the two, stared off into the water, incredulous. Caleb's ship was barely visible in the dark blue waters, and it only stood out because of the pale moonlight. The watchman turned back to the roguish man beside him. "Well, we certainly can't have any visitors, isn't that right, boss?" said the watchman. He smiled a sinister smile, and they paused to watch the ship pull ever closer to the night-fallen land.

The thug that walked beside him kept his stone-cold face. "That's right," he said, in a voice that could only be described as evil. "We don't want any interruptions."

"In the whole time we've been here, have we had anyone come from the outside world?" asked the watchman, trying to remember.

"No. Never. This'll be… fun, then, won't it?"

"Of course it will. I'll deal with this easily, sir." The watchman reached to his belt to reveal a Pokéball, and drew it up to his hand menacingly. He tossed the ball in front of them, and a Magmar landed on the balcony beside them in a flash of bright, white light. It roared an ominous roar, which brought a laugh from the two men. The unusual red-and-orange pattern on this Pokémon was intricate and odd, and it responded to the laughter with a chortle of its own.

"Not quite yet," warned the taller, more robust man, his face returning to that awful menacing glare. "Let them arrive first. I want to see who they are. You don't see any other ships?"

"No, sir. Just the one." The watchman scanned the view from the sea town, and saw nothing but water and that one ship in the distance, but approaching, closer by the minute.

The taller man hesitated. "Well, still, alert some of your men. We don't want any infiltration. This private world is perfect, private, as it is."

"That's because we're in charge," mused the watchman, "and that's not going to change any time soon." A foreboding smile was only response from the villain beside him.

"Shine the light toward them and reel them in." commanded the rogue after a period of silence. "It won't take long to deal with them."

"Yes, sir! Come, Magmar, we've got work to do. Rest well, sir, I've got everything under control." The watchman left to obey the leader, black cloak flying behind him, and his Magmar followed loyally. As the two walked away, the remaining man surveyed everything in view of the lighthouse, and smiled that it was all under his infallible command.

* * *

**A/N: And that's the end of Chapter 1. What do you think? Got a minute? R&R please! Also, if you're reading this after 10/19/2012, I'm officially back to writing again. And it all gets better from here, so be prepared for mind-blowing battles and other fantastic stuff. **

**As always, thanks for reading!**


	2. The Arrival

The Arrival

**A/N; Alright, just a little more exposition to get out of the way. Bear with me here, we get to some action real soon. A big thanks to my first supporters. **

**And to everyone: enjoy!**

* * *

Caleb awoke in the morning and yawned sleepily. He hadn't gotten too much sleep because he couldn't stop thinking about the island they were approaching. He quickly got up, threw on some clothes, and used the dim early morning light to find his way above deck. His father and Mr. Holloway were standing there.

"Morning, Caleb," said Mr. Holloway as he approached, "We're almost there." Yes, Caleb had noticed that. The island was visible, and its rocky shore stretched around a little peninsula. The ship was headed straight for the edge, where a small drop from a dense forest led to a lower area. Caleb waved his hand to acknowledge Mr. Holloway, and went over to his dad.

"Anything to eat?" asked Caleb. His stomach was beginning to growl.

"Sure, there's some cereal over in the other cabin," responded Mr. Faraday. Caleb nodded and ran off, finding the small room where food was kept. He searched through the boxes, and decided on some plain old Cheerios.

"What's up, man?" The voice startled Caleb, but he recognized it immediately.

"Hey, Luke, you sleep alright?" Caleb went over to the table to sit where Luke had pulled up a chair.

"Sure, man, you ready to see the island?" Luke took out some milk and poured himself a glass.

"Well, yeah! I mean, I've been really curious about it," said Caleb, trying to think of how to put his question. "What exactly is this exploring thing like?"

Luke appeared to think about it for a minute. "Well, I've never really explored an island before. I mean, we go to investigate people, usually…" His voice trailed off. "I don't really know."

"Oh well. We'll see soon, it looks like we're pretty close. Your dad seems to be trying to anchor this thing." There was a series of noises as the boat inched forward so as not to crash. "Let's go see what's up." Caleb hurriedly slurped up the last of the cereal and headed out the door, Luke right behind. Caleb's dad was standing in the captain's room trying to help direct Mr. Pierce get into position to drop an anchor.

"Boys, we're about to drop the anchor. We'll extend the path over there so we can safely disembark, and then all three adults will get out and set up the tent." Caleb and Luke exchanged a look that said, 'they never let us do anything' and turned back to Mr. Faraday. "Then we'll come back and unload our things. You can help us with that," Mr. Faraday continued, "and then we'll start the exploration." Mr. Pierce finally got the anchor down right, and turned to Luke and Caleb.

"While Mr. Faraday, Mr. Holloway, and I unload the path and set up the tent, why don't you get your stuff together?" Caleb sighed, and followed Luke as he left for their cabin. Blake was still there, sleeping lazily on his stomach. Caleb and Luke smiled at each other as Caleb went over to pour some water on Blake's face. After he slung the cool water, Blake slowly yawned, trying to convince his body to sit up. Caleb was chuckling at the half-'I'm gonna kill you' and half- 'what the heck was that' expression that crept across Blake's face. He finally sat up and just stared at Caleb and Luke.

"Good morning to you too," said Luke, trying not to laugh. "Get your stuff together. We're about to get off." An angry 'that's not as important as sleep' look was Blake's response. Caleb smiled, and got to packing up his things. As he did, he glanced out his window and saw his father and his two friends bringing the tent and supplies out to the mysterious island.

* * *

Nearby, in a forest beside the beach, the watchman and his four subordinates watched three people come down from a boat. The five had arrived hours before, and had been waiting impatiently for the sailors to finally come ashore. Now that they were coming, the people began to plan.

"Hey, boss, there they come," whispered one of the people, a dark-haired man with six fingers on his left hand. He had been watching the pathway from the boat for a while now, and was glad that they had finally found their prey.

"What is that they're carrying?" queried a bald man with sunglasses. He moved from behind a tree to take a closer look.

"It looks like a… tent?" This was from a young woman with long brown hair and devilish green eyes. She smiled coolly at no one in particular.

"Of course it's a tent, you idiots!" The watchman gave them a cold, dirty look before he continued. "Okay, here's the plan. Release your Pokémon now, Rogers. We'll jump out when all three are busy with the tent. You sure you haven't seen anyone but these three the whole time?" He looked around expectantly for an answer, at the same time releasing his Magmar out of its Pokéball.

"Yes, sir, only them," reported a third person, as he stood up and fumbled with his belt to find two Pokéballs. "No one else has even been on deck, sir. They are the only three on that boat." Finally, the man tossed one of the Pokéballs out to the right. A Torkoal formed in the white light, and then its black shell began to form. Smoke billowed around the Pokémon, and the warm holes that line its shell brimmed with fire. Rogers smiled at his Pokémon, and admired its strong gaze. His mind drifted back to his job, and he tossed another red-and-white Pokéball in the air. Another Pokémon appeared in a flash of light. It was a Houndoom, complete with snarling teeth and white horns. The Houndoom began whipping its tail back and forth, anxious for some action. "When we creep out on the beach, you follow me," Rogers directed his Pokémon. "Be ready to use a move as soon as you move out. Ready for this, boys?" The two Pokémon nodded vigorously in approval.

"Quit your yapping," ordered the watchman, cracking his knuckles, "It's almost time."

The three shipmen that were setting up the tent were having a little difficulty. All of the waiting members in the forest began to get impatient. Mr. Faraday was inside the tent, helping to support it from there. Mr. Pierce and Mr. Holloway were trying to get the poles in position. It took a few minutes for the men to understand which pole went in which spot. Finally, after Mr. Pierce snapped the final pole into its position, he and Mr. Holloway went inside with Mr. Faraday to finish setting up the things inside the tent.

"Now," whispered the watchman. He and the other four in his party crept from behind the bushes and quickly circled up around the tent. The five people there each hurried around to a different end of the tent, trying to surround the people inside. Once each member was in position, they stopped for a second until the watchman gave the order. It was clear the men inside had no idea what was transpiring. "Magmar?" barked the watchman. "It's time. Use Fire Blast." He smiled maliciously as his Pokémon brimmed with fire.

"Houndoom, Flamethrower. Torkoal, go with Fire Spin," Rogers commanded his Pokémon with certainty and a dark chuckle. The Pokémon leapt into action as a raging fire began to break out on the beach.

* * *

"Well, that seems like about it," stated Blake, as he and the other two boys finished packing up their things. Picking up all of his stuff, Luke began to move toward the door, when something piqued his interest.

"Hey, guys, I think I hear something," he said with a hint of confusion. "It sounds like voices from outside." The three crowded around the window, just as Mr. Holloway went inside the tent, which was now completely set up. Then, the teenagers saw something strange on the far side of the beach. Five strangers crept out from the forest behind, but, to Caleb, there was something odd about this bunch.

"What are those things with them? Robots?" It was clear to Blake and Luke what Caleb meant. Three really unusual forms were following the five people, and none of them looked familiar. "That one looks kind of like a dog, that one like a turtle, and that one… well, like nothing I've ever seen." All three had baffled looks on their faces. Of course, Blake had his own idea of what was going on.

"No, they're completely lifelike. No way they're anything but living creatures. But who are those people? They're all wearing these creepy black cloaks, like they're bank robbers, or bikers, or something," asserted Blake, who, of course, was completely sure of what he was saying.

All three teenagers were silent and waiting, standing around the window in their room. Then something horrific happened outside on the beach. They saw two men yell, and all of the creatures spring into action. Flames flew dangerously from all three, and right into the tent. In a moment, the tent, with all three boys' fathers inside, was suddenly ablaze with intense fire. There was even a ring of rotating flames on the outside that prevented anyone from leaving the area. They all stood there for a minute, completely shocked at what they had just seen. None of them knew how to react. Slowly, the boys turned to each other, and stared sullenly into each other's faces. It wasn't long, though, before they heard a distinct noise. The five who had just murdered their parents were coming on board. The teens didn't have time to be sad, to mourn, to bawl their eyes out. They were next.

"Alright, we need to make complete sure that was all of them!" barked the watchman from the boarding platform. "And, while you're at it, raid the ship for any useful stuff. If you find anyone, capture them and bring them to me." At this last, the watchman gave an ominous smile. The other four went to obey the orders, each nodding in agreement to the watchman. As they came aboard the boat, they were in two groups, splitting up to make the search faster.

"Oh my God," hissed Luke in a small whisper. He was the first one who had spoken in a long time. "What do we do?"

"It's simple, really," said Blake determinedly. He looked around for an answer. Not finding one, he looked back at Luke and shrugged.

"Well, we have to do something." Caleb had not given up. He got up, and did the only thing he knew to do. "We can't take anything from this room. We'll have to travel on the run, away from these people. Oh, man, this is crazy!" Caleb's mind was racing. Finally, it struck him like a bolt of lightning. There was only one way off the boat that didn't involve getting killed. Or, maybe it did, but at least death wasn't certain. Caleb got up and began pushing the window frame out. He voiced his logic. "Okay, Luke. Help me out here." Luke was still uncertain and tedious. He stood, one eyebrow raised.

"Why exactly are you pushing out the window?"

"Why do you think? It's the only way out! We can't go out on the pathway, those creeps are everywhere! The only other way off this boat is overboard. Somebody help me with the window!" Caleb had pushed it out most of the way, but the footsteps were getting heavier and closer. He continued to force the window outward.

"We'll die!" This from Blake. Caleb stopped what he was doing, looked pointedly at Blake and made his final plea.

"Blake! You'll die here on the ship if you don't help! You saw what they did to our parents!" Caleb was getting exasperated, the window was almost out. With one last grunt, the window flew off and dropped into the water. "We're next," he said, "and the time is now. I'll help you all out, and I'll be right behind you. The plan after we're all in the water is easy. Once we're all in, we swim along the coast until we find a place to go ashore safely. Then… I don't know. We'll improvise." The boys stood there for a second, and then began to carry out the plan. Luke was the first. He moved over to the side of the room, gripped the sides of the hole, and pulled himself up to sit on the ledge.

"Oh, crap, oh crap, oh crap." Luke took a breath. "Here goes!" Luke gulped. He pushed with his feet and half-fell, half-dove into the air. It was only about a 20-foot drop, but to Luke it took forever. He throttled through the air, trying his hardest not to flail. Finally, he reached the end of his perilous drop, and flew through the water like a torpedo. He went a few good feet under before beginning his rise back to the water's surface. Flapping his arms in measured motions, he began to approach the surface. Once his head was above water, he gasped in a huge breath and looked around. Blake was falling. He was in the air for a second or so, and then, like Luke, pierced the water. From the ship, Caleb saw Blake's head bob back up above the water, and he knew it was his time.

The cloaked people were getting closer. They were in the room beside Caleb now. He could hear their voices. They were talking about a splash. That wasn't good, but Caleb had no choice but to go through with the plan. It was already in motion. He leapt straight out the window just as some of the people were approaching the room. He soared through the air like a rocket, and braced himself. He shut his eyes and waited for the impact. When it came, he went under farther than Blake and Luke. The water surrounded him, soaking every part of him. He pushed off the bottom of the sea when he felt it, and came back up. Completely out of breath and struggling, Caleb tried to remain focused.

The water was freezing, chilling each boy to the bone. It surrounded each of them with a presence that was all kinds of menacing. The water's icy tongue quickly sent a message to the boys- give up now. Caleb knew what they had to do, but it was all the more difficult because of the way the water was so distracting. No, Caleb said to himself. I have to do this. It's the only way out. I will survive, even if I have to be on this island.

"We have to go. Now. They're in our room, they know we're here by now. Swim! That way! Go!" Caleb frantically swam along the beach, the others following, until they reached the craggier coastline. It was impossible not to notice the tent high up on the shore as the boys swam by, and each looked at it in turn. The inferno of a tent was now shrinking down to smaller and smaller lumps, and each boy shed a tear as they reflected on the events of the past hour. As they were about to turn the corner onto the rocky coast, Luke looked back just in time to see the watchman point at them from the busted-out window and shout angrily to acknowledge their presence. Then, the watchman yelled something to his cronies, and they nodded and ran off directly.

"They've seen us," he said dejectedly. Luke turned his head and stopped. He was defeated, not wanting to give up, but realizing their situation was hopeless. "They know exactly where we are, they'll catch up to us any minute…"

"It's not over!" Blake had steeled himself by now. His life had just taken a pretty drastic turn, and he was not giving up. The three boys swam further, to where the forest began. Caleb knew that from the forest you couldn't see the desperate swimmers, because they were right up along the coast. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realized this, but it was short-lived. He had to go back to swimming, he told himself. If they didn't hurry and get up on the island, the people who had just killed their fathers would come for them with those creatures of theirs.

They continued to swim, muscles beginning to ache from effort. It didn't help that the water was piercingly cold, and they felt it every second. Caleb gazed over at the land. It had been about an hour since they all jumped off the boat, and there was still nothing but rocky coast in sight. The forest on the shore, however, was beginning to thin out, and the trees were getting sparser. Finally, after a few more minutes, the forest became a meadow, and the coast began to get a little lower. By this time, though, the water was like mud. It was becoming harder and harder to get up the shore because of the boys being so physically exhausted. The rocky coast continued to drop. It was only a few feet up now, Caleb noticed. He thought about trying to climb the cliff, but quickly understood that it would be impossible because they were all so tired. None of them could take climbing up the cliff on top of all this swimming. Caleb frowned. Their situation was so ridiculous.

As the coast reached close to the surface of the water, Luke saw a beach area not too far away. "You think we could get up there?" he asked the two.

"Probably," said Caleb, "but we'll have to be careful. We still can't have people seeing us. We don't know who we can trust." He was being very careful and apprehensive, and he wasn't going to get them caught. His eyes, however, turned to another strange creature, which was swimming along the beach just ahead of them. Its body looked like that of a jellyfish with purple dots on its head. It had two tentacles that dangled from its bell-shaped body, threatening anything that decided to appear. It swam right in front of the teenagers. "Luke! Look out!..." Caleb tried to warn his friend, but was just a little late.

"Huh?" Luke turned around abruptly, but not so quickly that he missed the creature. His arm grazed the thing's tentacle, and a shot of pain waved over his face. "Ow!" he yelled as the jellyfish thing did what jellyfishes do. It stung him. The boys, berserk, vigorously backed up a couple steps, and looked at Luke's arm, which had a big welt on it. They all looked back at the creature, now thoroughly afraid of the animal-like things that inhabited this island. Blake wanted to make sure Luke was okay.

"Dude, are you okay?" Blake looked slightly worried.

"Of course, man." Luke was trying to act tough, but it was clear the jellyfish sting was painful. Luke examined his own wound, seeing his arm tear up painfully at the site where he hit the jellyfish. He concentrated hard to make the pain leave him.

"Luke, we can rest here for a minute if you don't feel like continuing now. There'll be a place, there on the beach, or something. You can rest. How does that sound?" asked Caleb comfortingly. He and Blake tried to help Luke keep his arm out of the water as Luke thought about it.

But Luke's response was cut off short by an unfamiliar, questioning voice from the shore, which made all three boys freeze in fear. They had been found.

"What are you doing in the water?"

* * *

**A/N: So what do you all think so far? Drop me a review or PM me with advice or whatever else you want to say, ideas for the story, anything like that. Thanks for reading, I hope it's good so far!**


	3. The Resistance

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story! Sorry about the HUGE :/ delay in update, I'm just a busy guy. But hey, this update's a really long one. So there you go. Enjoy!**

The Resistance

**A few hours earlier…**

"Is it coming yet?" A teenage girl was resting against a tree. She sighed deeply from being so tired, and her shoulder-length brown hair blew softly in the dawn breeze. She was getting impatient, but she knew her mission was imperative and clear.

"It's still a ways off." The older boy at her side was still alert, though he was just as tired as she was. His long hair fell right at his shoulders, and he fought his exhaustion to stay vigilant. The two fell back to circumspect silence as the sun rose ever so slowly in the sky. The boat that Caleb slept on was approaching ever so slowly, and the pair waiting for it could not take waiting any more. Neither had had any sleep in at least two days, and the tree they were leaning against was getting more and more comfortable. Each of them had tattered clothes, and all they wanted was sleep and real freedom, the two things they could not have. The two settled in against the tree calmly, waiting for the ship just as the rest of the island was.

They sat that way for hours, in still, calm silence, until something caught the boy's eye. He jerked his head over to the side.

"Haley!" The boy's whisper was more of an urgent hiss. "Look! Down there!" Down below the small ring of trees the pair was in, the edge of the dense, hilly forest was in view. Five forms moved in behind a barricade of rock and unhindered forest growth. All five had black cloaks on, and a mark on the back of them in the shape of a celestial object illuminated who the group was. Haley roused her drooping head and swiftly stood to get a better view. She was pretty short, but she managed to see just far enough to where the figures stood.

"Comets." It was a statement, not a question. "It's about time you showed up." She turned to the boy. "Well, Andrew, you can't say you didn't expect them." She looked wearily at Andrew, and he half-smiled in optimistic reply. The ship was almost at the shore by then, its bright blue hull proudly announcing its arrival. The Comets down below stood up, waiting anxiously for the ship's crew members to get off. Andrew stood and dusted off his worn jeans.

"We better get down there before anything happens. We wouldn't want to miss out on the… fun." Haley strolled over to him, and the two began their descent down the craggy cliff. They were hurrying as quickly as they could, leaping down over the rocks and through the trees wherever they could still have cover from the Comets. As Haley passed by an especially jagged rock, her jeans ripping yet again, but she was hopeful and as positive as she could be. Each tree they passed got them one step closer to revolt, to saving their society. This was their mission.

They finally arrived at a ledge that was much closer to the beach. Andrew was out in front, and, extending a hand beside him, he stopped Haley.

"There! Three people! They're trying to set up a tent! Y- You think that's who we're here for?" Andrew, not waiting for a reply, continued observing the scene. "The Comets are staying put for now." He paused, not wanting to say what had to be said next. "Think…Think we should… go down there?"

"…Yeah…" Haley wasn't any more excited about confronting the situation than Andrew, but it was what had to happen. Otherwise, it was over. The Comets would rule forever. That… wasn't an option, Haley thought. She hurried after Andrew down the steep hills, almost falling several times. Neither was exceptionally adept at this rock-climbing thing, but the fate of the island was at stake. With a huge leap from a rock, Andrew landed on the overgrown plant-filled ground. Haley followed determinedly, hitting the ground with a soft thud. 'And, for my next trick, I'm going to navigate this dense forest,' she thought.

Andrew and Haley continued to rush through the forest, ducking under branches and jumping over roots. They were almost there. The edge of the forest was in sight now, and they were almost there. Haley barely avoided a wandering Weedle as the two slowed, approaching the beach. Just then, a huge pillar of fire formed in front of them. Haley gasped as they rested at the edge of the forest. The tent, with all three inside of it, was ablaze with intense fire. Andrew heard the muffled cries from inside, and shuddered. It was over. The two were silent except for small gasps of tears that they couldn't force back. Amidst the sadness and confusion, Andrew noticed something as the Comets boarded the ship to loot it.

"Haley! Look!" The confused girl curbed her crying to gaze over where Andrew was pointing. She saw the boat, and a window… was it moving? Both teens were baffled as they watched the scene that unfolded before them. The window was being pushed out! Andrew pulled Haley away to get a closer look. They ambled along the edge of the beach as the window finally plopped out into the water. The two accomplices sped up to a jog to see what was next, still emotional from the fire.

"Andrew! I-I think there's a kid! Look!" said Haley, eyes widening. Andrew was already ahead of her.

"There's another one! They're abandoning ship! Oh, please let there be three!" Andrew begged to no one in particular. This was their only hope. Maybe the three men had been a diversion. A third boy dove through the window, and Andrew and Haley beamed at each other, incredulous.

"Have the Comets seen them?" asked Haley as the three boys began to swim away down the coast. Sure enough, the watchman, the leader of that force of Comets, appeared in the window, yelling and pointing.

"But they can't follow!" Andrew watched that angry glare on the watchman's face as he looked around for water Pokémon, finding that his men had none. "Come on! Now's our chance!" Andrew and Haley quickly turned a hard left turn, climbing back up the mountainous cliffs. Quickly, both of them were breathing heavily. Going up was a lot harder than going down.

As they finally reached the top of the cliff, Andrew was back to his optimism. "We're still pretty close," he said sanguinely. They looked past the row of trees to the east. Something had been on Haley's mind ever since they had been assigned to this mission.

"Do we really have to kidnap those boys? They seem… already distressed enough." Andrew responded with a sarcastic sympathetic look. "No, Andrew, I'm serious. Does it… really have to happen this way?" She looked away as the two slowed to a strolling pace.

Andrew hesitated for a moment, stopping as they had the three boys in their sights. "Yes," he said resignedly. "It's not exactly my method of choice either, but… it has to be done. If they are the three, then… w-we have to do everything we can to get them back!" Andrew's voice got stronger and more determined as he went on.

"But wouldn't kidnapping them just make them… I don't know, mad at us or something?" Haley wasn't quite sure what she was trying to say. Andrew gave her a bewildered look, so she tried a different approach. "Okay, think about it. If you were kidnapped, you wouldn't exactly trust the people who kidnapped you. I mean, no one wants to go through that." She seemed genuinely concerned. "You've just gotten through swimming all the way from the ship to wherever, and then these two kids show up, wrap these stupid hoods around your face and drag you to this run-down building you've never seen before. Not only would you be confused, but you wouldn't exactly be racing to join their side, would you?" The two started walking again as the rough terrain began to drop in altitude.

Andrew shot Haley a defensive look. "Okay, I definitely don't have all the answers. I don't know why we have to do it like that! I don't know why Pine sent us out here instead of anyone else!" Andrew was getting exasperated. "I have no clue why it's all like it is, but if we want this island to be free-"

"Shhh, shhhh," Haley soothed. "I understand, I get it. It's okay, Andrew. I'll go along with it. I'm just as clueless as you are." The boy calmed down, and continued walking, almost tripping over a fleeing Ledyba. Each Pokémon they saw along the way darted away as soon as they approached. Haley felt sorry for the poor things, being forced to total terror by the Comets. She looked ahead, noticing the changes in the landscape. The overgrown path they took was still sloping down, and they saw a beach area up ahead. "Those boys must be exhausted," she said pityingly as their faces paled in fatigue.

"Eh, they'll be okay." Andrew was focused on the job at hand. He wasn't going to wait and chase the boys along the coast some more. "Let's go, Haley. We'll stop them here."

"Andrew … do we have to?" It wasn't a complaint, but a final plea.

"Yes." Andrew was entirely sure now, it was the only way. "They're tired, and it looks like they're wading in anyway." He was right. Two of the boys appeared to be helping the third, who had been stung. Andrew smiled. This was the first entertainment he had had all day. "Look," he glanced at Haley; they were almost to the beach. "He's been stung by a Tentacool."

"Aww, poor thing…" Haley felt sorry for the kids. It must have been an unbearable day for them.

"Calm down, calm down." Andrew needed her to concentrate. "Here's the plan. You call them over; explain you're here to help them. Then I'll jump them."

"I-I just don't feel good about the whole thing…" Haley said, but a 'this is getting ridiculous' look from Andrew pushed her over the edge. She took one look at Caleb, Luke, and Blake, who were almost to the beach now, and rushed out of the forest. She was so nervous about the whole ordeal, as if something bad were about to happen. That's ridiculous, she told herself. Andrew's right. Just do your job. Finally, she spoke.

"What are you doing in the water?" Haley asked casually, as if she had just been strolling by. She wasn't entirely certain she was alone with the boys and Andrew.

The three boys spun around, their eyes widening.

"Don't worry!" Haley smiled and walked towards the three boys slowly, her toes sinking into the cold sand. She giggled cautiously and their stares of immediate terror faded slightly.

"Wh-Who are you?" Caleb was not at all sure this girl could be trusted. The only people he had seen on this island had burned their parents, so Caleb wasn't extremely apt to trusting people here yet.

Haley paused. Should she tell them her name? She wasn't an expert spy; she was just a girl trying to make her way through this crazy life on this crazy island. "M-My name's Hal-"

"Haley! Look out!" Andrew's voice came booming from the near forest as the boy came running out. Then several things happened at once. The overcast sky began to drip rain ever so slowly. Haley whipped around to face the plains across from the forest. A blinding flash of bright light greeted her coldly, almost as grim as the evil smile on the man's face behind the wall of light.

This man was not normal. He had spiky short hair that had been dyed a deep blue color richer than that of the ocean. His unique eyes were narrow, and their burning shade of orange was fiery as the inside of a volcano. His mouth was curled in a confident smirk, and he stared straight at Haley as she and the others in attendance looked at the visitor with complete terror.

The white light formed into a Pokémon, one that stood toweringly over all the rest. It was a gigantic Pokémon; it must have been at least twenty feet tall. Its green-gray body was shell-like and solid. The tail next to its huge feet curled slightly with a spiky end. Its piercing, intimidating roar would have scared Andrew's socks off if Andrew had been wearing socks.

"We have to get out of here!" he screamed at Haley. When he realized what this monster was, he had panicked. "Forget everything! It's a Tyranitar! Run!"

"Wh-What about the three? …Could we use ours?" Haley had tried too hard to just let them go. She whirled around to Luke, Blake and Caleb. "This way, now!" She kept looking agonizingly behind her as she ran back into the forest for cover, fighting sleep as she went.

"No, of course not!" Andrew knew they weren't strong enough by any means to take on this brute. "Just get them into the forest!" Haley nodded, knowing she had just gotten her Pokémon, and it wasn't at all strong yet.

The icy man controlling this beast spoke. "Hyper Beam, Tyranitar. Kill these little weasels." He was completely calm and placid, although he was growling angrily. He eyed the three boys, who stared back in terror. They were pretty well frozen to where they were.

"Look, people," Blake said, turning toward the forest. "I have no clue who those people are, but I don't want to get vaporized by a 'Hyper Beam.'" Neither of the other boys moved.

"MOVE!" Haley was losing it. "Get into the forest if you want to live! Didn't you hear him? He told it to kill you, for Pete's sake!"

"Haley, just come with me! You want to live too, don't you?" Andrew was really starting to get anxious. If nothing else, they could escape with their lives if they ran now. The Tyranitar was already moving towards the kids, charging its beam. It fired its first beam, a brilliant yellow string of light that broke the ground right beside Luke's right foot. At that moment, Caleb snapped out of it. He blinked twice, and immediately turned tail and sprinted for the forest. Luke and Blake were right behind him. They had almost reached the first row of trees when another blast from the Tyranitar rocked the ground farther away.

"After them!" The blue-haired man frowned. This wasn't supposed to happen. "Don't miss this time!" He was irritated with Tyranitar. It wasn't usually this erratic. Tyranitar complied, giving chase to the kids. Its thundering footsteps made the trees sway and the puddles from the rain shake violently.

The boys were now at a full jog, fleeing as fast as they could. Every few seconds looking back at the terrorizing beast in the background, they were pushing the limits of their physique. After swimming for exhausting hours in the sea, they were now running for their lives.

"Where are you, Haley?" Luke yelled, trying to reach the mysterious girl that had spurred them into action. He winced as his arm scraped a sycamore tree, and a scrape appeared next to his elbow.

A monstrous bellow came from behind them, and the Tyranitar blew a last streak of light at the teenagers. As Haley looked from far away to shout back, the ball of light set the trees in front of the three boys ablaze. They incinerated immediately, and the fiery blaze wasn't doused by the rain that drizzled lightly down around them. Blake was in front. He skidded to a halt quickly, and the other boys followed suit. An arm length's distance from more fire and flames, the three were out of options. Caleb turned slowly, surveying everything as quickly as he could afford.

Andrew spoke from some direction away. "There you are!"

Caleb hardly had time to look to his left before a crashing blow was landed right on his chest. The force was so strong that he and Blake, who was also hit, were blown backward. He grunted in pain and the wind flew out of him. He and Blake caught some short time in the air, flying almost straight up in the air. Confusion ensued for the two boys in the couple seconds they were in the air. Blake tried to look frantically around him as he fell to the ground, only to be stopped by some bull-like creature. It scooped up Blake and Caleb on its back and took off.

"What in the world was that?" asked Caleb, still incredulous at all the things that had happened. " And where is Luke?" He looked back to the fire they had just come from, and the Tyranitar that still fired Hyper Beams at nothing. Its smug blue-haired trainer knew the jig was up.

"Ooooh," he seethed, simply irate that they had escaped. "This is not the last time you'll see me," he mumbled. "Spike will see you again, and then it will all be over." He spat the last words as he rolled them around angrily in his mouth. He bitterly recalled his Tyranitar and let his black cloak ripple in the wind as drips of water slid down his cool back.

"Over here!" Luke called back to Caleb. In the confusion, some skunk thing had picked up Luke- and there was another person on board!

"Y'all hold on!" said a deep, gruff voice riding the oversized skunk. His especially bushy eyebrows screamed that he was tough and stubborn. The kept white hair, however, said in a more calm voice that he was also dignified and intelligent. "Let Tauros take you where I told it to. We'll discuss things in town."

Caleb was, for about the fiftieth time that day, utterly bewildered. His mind was so muddled up with information. He saw Haley and that boy she was with riding some gray stony winged creature overhead. What was going on? He needed answers, and he needed them now. There was something big about this island, something to do with all these creatures.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "Are you with them?" He pointed to the two on the stone bird.

"Why, yes. I'm sure you have a million questions, and I'll be simply delighted to answer them all when we arrive." Caleb wasn't sure why, but he trusted this man. He had saved them from a Tyranitar and its Hyper Beams, whatever those were, and for that Caleb was grateful.

"What do you think?" he whispered so only Blake could hear.

"I don't have any idea what to think. I say we just go with them. They did save our butts back there." Blake was crippled with fatigue, and had pretty much resigned to not doing anything for at least five minutes. "It seems like Luke is cool with everything over there anyway."

Luke was not paying attention to anything. He was completely caught up in the skunk he was riding.

"It's called Skuntank," informed the man, "and it'll carry us to our hideout." He petted the purple-and-white striped skunk, and it shook its head as they persisted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But what are all these creatures? I mean, all these things that keep popping up? Wh-what are they?" Luke asked the question in both the other boys' heads. "And where is the hideout? What hideout?"

The man thought about it for a moment. He decided on a course of action, and said, "I'm not sure now is the time. We're not out of the woods yet. Let's make sure we get away before they show up again." He had a melancholy look on his face, and shook his head slowly. "This way, Skuntank." He directed the Pokémon off to the left, near what looked like a little village. Turning to Caleb and Blake, he said, "As for all the other questions, getting there is more important now. I'll explain everything as soon as we arrive."

The village grew nearer and nearer as they rode towards it, and the swift shadow of the stony bird gracefully swooped down to the ground in front of them, but off to the side, by a Mart. The bull carrying Blake and Caleb looked to the man for its next instruction.

"Now, Tauros." said the man, "Follow Skuntank to the tree over there." He pointed to a small oak tree by a run-down shack. Then the man looked around him and, in one swift motion, took out a Pokéball and recalled the rock bird. The two runners reached the oak, and collapsed in a heap to the side. "Thanks, guys," said the man. "We couldn't have done it without you. Okay!" he said as he spun around to face the five teenagers before them. "See over there? It's a market, and there are houses all over the place. No one, and I mean no one, can see us go in this shack. Haley, you and Andrew go first. I'll follow with the other three a few minutes later."

The two nodded and headed off the few feet to the entrance, a large wooden door. It had obvious signs of wear, but the two nonchalantly turned the knob and slipped inside.

"Wha-" began Blake.

"Shhhhhhhhhh…" warned the old man, as he kept glancing around to ensure no one was spectating the whole affair. Caleb and Luke looked at each other, and Blake looked back with a 'calm down, bro' look. They stood there, for all intents and purposes on the outside looking into this crazy world. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the circumspect man nudged them forward and brought them out into the open. He reached the side of the small shack, and a shutter he accidentally nudged fell right off. He motioned for the boys to come too, and the four edged along the side of the building, its low roof almost hitting Blake and Luke's heads.

They approached the door, the man cautiously and the boys still completely perplexed. They advanced to the door, and the old man again went ahead of them, knowing exactly what he was doing. He took out an ancient-looking pocket knife, and slipped it into the crack in the door.

"Anyone watching?" he queried, and the boys, observing the area, shook their heads. "Good. It should be safe. I hope…" He slipped the knife to a certain point about halfway up to a small hole and pushed it inside. There was a click, and the door swung open to reveal the much sturdier steel door behind it, which slid to the side. Conscientiously, they set foot inside. It was a room, an open white room. But the conditions were awful. The tile walls were cracking in several places, and the once glimmering floor now showed off its musty gray color. Each piece of old technical equipment had a smashed monitor, showing the disrepair. Almost nothing was untouched, things scattered about the foor

"This is my laboratory." He said it proudly, even with the horrible state of disrepair it was in. "Or, it used to be. Don't worry." He smiled at the curious boys' faces, each completely failing to understand.

"Where are Haley and that… boy she was with? They came in here." Luke was going to try to understand, but the man knew he couldn't yet.

"Right this way," he said, avoiding the question for the moment. He looked around in one corner by an old bookcase. All the books had been ripped off of the shelves, and were aimlessly scattered on the floor. Copies were ripped at the binding, and tattered covers lay isolated in random spots. In a pile on the side was a bunch of wood, the only apparently neat thing in the entire place.

"Will you at least tell us who you are?" Blake said, and the man smiled with a nod.

"But of course. I am- or I was Professor Pine," answered the man as he gripped a couple of logs. "Hey, help me out here, would you? Grab that red-and-white ball over there. The one with a button in the middle." He nodded his head to gesture.

Caleb wandered over to the table the Professor had signaled towards and found an odd ball sitting there. "What is it?" He picked it up and rolled it around in his hand.

"It's a Pokéball," said the Professor, who noticed the befuddled look on Caleb's face. "Toss it over here. Not to me, just in the air." He placed the logs tentatively in a furnace that, while looking old and decrepit, had also been very recently used. Wisps of steam still rose from a small pile of ashes.

Caleb lightly pitched the ball beside the Professor. In the air, it stopped and let out a bright flash of light Caleb and the other boys had become familiar with. A creature appeared in front of them. Its doglike features included an orange coat with a few black stripes.

"Groooooow!" it said, eager to help out.

"Ah, Andrew's Growlithe will be perfect." He turned to the boys, who were still waiting for answers.

"Who's Andrew?" asked Blake.

"Oh, he's the boy that was traveling with Haley. I presume you already met her." The boys nodded. "Ember, Growlithe." The fire dog moved forward and tried to cause flames to appear on the logs. "You can do it, you've got this one," Professor Pine encouraged. Finally, the Growlithe made a small flare appear, which lit the logs. After a few seconds of silence and a grinning Growlithe, a heat sensor in the fireplace went off. What was the top of the fireplace came down to snuff out the crackling fire, and what was the back slid to the right to reveal a secret passageway.

"Whoa…" Blake was incredulous.

"This way," he said, and dropped down to his knees. Motioning toward the passage, he crawled through it adeptly. Managing to hit his head on the top of the tiny corridor, Luke was the first of the three boys through. The scene he saw was in complete contrast to the former room.

Its walls gleamed with a radiant shine, strong enough to pierce through to the other room. But as clean as it was, the only major attraction in the room was a square table with two chairs. A small and insignificant cabinet sat, holding few remnants of food, in the corner. A pair of peculiar, dusty mattresses sat on the opposite wall of the room, laying in solitude by each other. A couple Pokéballs were positioned around a messy green sleeping bag. Haley and Andrew sat on one of the beds waiting for them. The six of them took a moment to breathe, something none of them had had that day.

The Professor and Blake sat down at the table, and Caleb and Luke leaned against the wall. Growlithe padded over to Andrew, who petted it with a forced grin. Haley looked nervously towards the wall, wondering where they stood in relation to the prophecy that had been in her mind all day. It was the reason for the day's events, and, as the sun fell back into its nightly slumber, she continued to ponder.

Professor Pine finally broke the silence. "So… I suppose I have some explaining to do." Each of the three children was hungry for answers. Charging Tauros could not have taken their eyes off the Professor.

**A/N: Well, what do you think? Any ideas for the story? Anything that could improve my writing? I hope so! Review! MyPetRhinoceros commands it!**


	4. The Prophecy

The Prophecy

**A/N: Yep, for all 15 of my fans, I'm writing again! Might not be too consistent, but I'm going to try to get with it on weekends. Junior year has been something else. Anyway, in this chapter, you'll get a lot of answers. It does get a little dark, though. And on that note, enjoy!**

Professor Julian Pine tried to clear his head. Where could he start? How could he even begin to explain the hell that he and the rest of the island had been through for the last ten years? He stared at the solid white wall of the makeshift apartment, attempting to collect his thoughts. After a short pause, he opened his mouth.

"Well…" he began, "I guess I should start by telling you about Pokémon."

"About what?" wondered Blake. "What's a Pokémon?"

Professor Pine smiled. Pokémon had been his life's work. Ever since he was six years old, he had known the reason he was living, and that was to study Pokémon. "Well, from the looks of it, you've already met one," he said, gesturing to the sting on Luke's swollen arm. "Anyway, Pokémon are powerful creatures that live only on this island. I've devoted my life to studying them. Each one has fascinating abilities completely different from other Pokémon. There are hundreds and hundreds of unique Pokémon species, and their sizes range from tiny mice to gigantic whales!"

Luke couldn't help but grin. This was a man who you could tell absolutely loved what he did. The professor's eyes lit up as he described ominous ghost Pokémon, chilly ice Pokémon, and burning fire Pokémon.

Professor Pine went on. "People and Pokémon have always worked together as partners. Many of us catch Pokémon and train them to be strong in battle. People travel around the island on a personal journey, a quest, to become legendary. I myself was one of them, back in the good old days. The trust that develops between a Pokémon and its trainer… there's nothing like it in the world." The aging man did nothing to hide the glimmer in his eyes. "Here, I'll show you mine."

With that, the professor stood up and fished three small red and white balls from his pocket. "This is a Poké ball," he said proudly. "We keep Pokémon in these until we need their help." Then, he pushed a little button on the side of the ball and tossed it into the air.

The same white flash Caleb had seen before engulfed the room. A buffalo-looking creature burst out of the light, taking up a whole corner.

"Tauros!" it exclaimed, excited to be out again.

"This is a Tauros," Professor Pine explained. "It's a normal type. This big guy was my first Pokémon. I remember when…"

"Professor, could we maybe move on?" Andrew cut in, his eyes darting around nervously. "We have a lot to talk about."

"Of course," said Pine, recalling Tauros and sitting back down.

"So, Professor, Pokémon and trainers work together as partners?" Caleb was trying to put the pieces of this bizarre puzzle together.

Professor Pine's face grew solemn. "Yeah. That's… That's how it used to be, anyway. Until the Comets showed up."

"Excuse me, the Comets?"

"Team Comet, officially. But yeah, they're nothing but bad news." Haley had been quiet but her slender form finally stepped forward. Her face was as serious as Andrew had ever seen.

"It all started ten years ago," explained the professor. "A man named Vincent Lewis… he was the head of a huge Pokétech corporation called MaliCorp. He was a very respected man, for his business and his battling. But then… and no one knows how or when, but he decided to start to use his Pokémon against people directly. At first it was just threats, to make people he did business with do what he wanted. But after that, a woman battling Lewis was found dead, her body charred by a Flamethrower attack."

"Then it became massacres," Andrew chipped in, "Anyone who opposed MaliCorp was killed… Including my parents." He choked back the terrible memory of his young self finding their bodies sprawled, lifeless, outside their home. He had seen others, too, lining his street… dead. All Lewis's prey. Trying to recompose himself, he continued, "Lewis took over the government. He set up a world where only his men could even have Pokémon, and under threat of death, the people consented…" Andrew trailed off, close to tears.

"Now there are no people left who bother to fight anymore. All we have is a dictator, and people who do what he says," Haley said tersely.

"Lewis… Now he is known only as The Raven," added Professor Pine. Haley and Andrew shuddered at the mere mention of the name. It brought up so many terrible memories to think of The Raven. Images flashed through their minds of buildings engulfed in flames, and people being sliced to shreds in front of their very eyes.

The six of them sat there in silence for a few minutes. No one had anything to say. The atmosphere in the room was more somber than a cemetery. The three boys could hardly believe what they had been told. Here was a world with seemingly no hope. A place where no one felt happiness, a place completely void of freedom, ambition, and safety. A society ruled by fear in the form of one man: The Raven.

Finally, Luke spoke. "So… If things are so hopeless, why does anyone care that we're here? I mean, it's not like we can do anything about it."

A small sliver of hope crept over Andrew's tired face. "Now, that's where you just might be wrong. There is one crack in The Raven's armor."

"That's right," continued the professor. "That woman, The Raven's first victim? She wasn't just anybody. Her name was Alice, Alice Dumas. She was a Pokémon scientist, just like me. And when her body was discovered, they found a small piece of paper next to her with a message written on it, a prophecy about the only way to escape The Raven's clutches." The professor again reached into his pocket. He took out and unfolded a small, crinkled piece of paper, scanning the familiar words for what had to be the millionth time. "It went something like this…

"Those with the arrows lead back to the light,

Three from the sea will appear on the site,

They hold the key to escape from our plight," began Professor Pine.

"The three must train valiantly out of the sun,

Should they be defeated, The Raven has won,

But if he is vanquished, our struggle is done," Andrew recited from memory.

"The heroes will fight both the fire and rain,

But in sending this evil far from this domain,

When all this has passed only-" Haley tried to complete the cryptic prophecy, but Professor Pine coughed loudly and quickly shook his head. He knew they would never agree to anything if she said the last line. The professor was not usually one to operate using deception, but this was too critical. Their entire world was at stake. This was the only way!

The three travelers seemed not to notice the professor's inner turmoil, but they were still waiting attentively for the last line to finish. Thinking quickly, the professor said, "When all this has passed only goodness shall reign. Sorry about that."

Haley and Andrew exchanged a look of surprise at Professor Pine's outburst. They had heard this prophecy many times, and never once had it ended like that. Why wasn't the professor telling them straight? Their thoughts were interrupted as Blake spoke.

"So… You think we're the three people the prophecy talks about? The ones who are supposed to save this island?"

"Well, think about it," Haley reasoned. "Not only are you the first visitors to this island since the Comets came to power, but there are three of you, and with one look I can't help but notice the arrows."

'Ah, the arrows,' Caleb thought. His "arrow" was a birthmark, right beside his elbow, a couple inches long, and very visible to anyone who cared to look. It had been one of his favorite things about his appearance ever since he could remember, and he traced his finger over it as Haley spoke.

Luke also immediately knew what Haley was talking about. He had gotten his "arrow" when he had been hit by a flaming stick while camping years ago. His father had accidentally smacked him on his left cheek while tending the fire. It had been very painful, but the burn had scarred over inexplicably in the shape of an arrow. Up until now, he had thought it was just a coincidence. Now, Luke was anything but sure.

But by far the most prominent arrow was Blake's. Once he had become good friends with Caleb and Luke, he had noticed the arrows, and for some reason felt left out as only Blake could. As soon as his father let him, Blake had gotten a dark blue tattoo of an arrow pointing upward, right on the back of his neck. Blake's arrow, just like the other two, had become a part of his identity. People noticed him because of the arrow, just as Haley did now.

To Caleb, there was no denying that the prophecy must have been talking about them. How could it not be? It described them exactly; it somehow knew their situation and their appearance, and that was just too much to dismiss as chance. Still, how could they stay and fight? How could they abandon their lives for a place where people were constantly trying to kill them?

"Well, let's hear it," demanded Luke, who broke yet another long silence as the boys tried to get a feel for the situation. "You must have a plan, right? I mean, we can't just march up to this Raven guy and fight him like this. We didn't even know what a Pokémon was until just now! How do you expect us to save you?"

"Well, you're not the only ones," Professor Pine answered. "There are still a few of us on this island who refuse to let The Raven win. We're spread out across different cities, hiding in small bunkers like this so they can't find us. We call ourselves The Resistance, and we've been training in secret, preparing for this exact moment. Our only chance to be free again is this prophecy, and now that you're here, we can fight back."

Always the skeptic, Blake raised the question that was floating around all of their minds, "And… What if we say no?"

"Good luck trying to get off this island," Andrew said coldly, "You'll be dead within minutes once the Comets see you." Haley shot him a disapproving look. Didn't the chosen three deserve some compassion? It was all a lot to take in.

Luke had made up his mind; they had to stay and help these people. Now, he just had to convince Blake. "He's right, bro. We don't stand a chance trying to run away. You saw them before, these Comet people are everywhere. Besides, we're their only hope! They've been waiting ten long years for the three of us to show up. How can we just walk away?" Caleb was nodding his head. He knew what Luke was saying was the truth.

Blake was still unwilling to give up the prospect of getting home, and he was baffled that the others had believed all of this. "But we have something to live for too, Caleb! We have our own lives, our own friends, and MOST of our own families. I don't know if you've forgotten, but this island has already taken our fathers! We can't let it take us, too."

Professor Pine tried to cut in, but this time Haley stopped him, looking right into Blake's deep brown eyes. "Blake, your friends are right. I- I can't even explain how horrible life is here right now. And this is how it's always going to be if you refuse to help us change it. We can do all we can to fight The Raven. We can train all we want, we can plan attacks, we can try to keep up hope, but we all know the truth... We can't do any of it unless you're here to help us. We want you to join us. We NEED you to save us. Can't you see that?"

Haley's sudden plea took Blake by surprise. He looked down, embarrassed, at his dusty black sneakers and pondered for a second. With all eyes in the room on him, he thought over his words. Maybe, just maybe, they could actually do something. Maybe they could be the ones to free the island for good. Maybe… Maybe the others were right.

"Okay," he said at last, "We'll do it. I guess we really have to try, don't we?" Blake tried to force a smile as he spoke.

"Thank you!" yelled the professor before he could stop himself. His face lit up like a firework going off in the sky and he leapt to his feet. "You have no idea how much this means to us. And… I hope that one day you will come to see this island as your home too.

"For now, anyway, you can sleep on those little beds over in the corner. A couple of you can share them with Andrew and Haley and then the other one can have this sleeping bag here…"

Andrew rolled his eyes as the professor, who was now dancing around rearranging things to accommodate the new guests. He turned to Haley and said, "I'll go ration a little bread so we can eat today. It's going to be tough with three more, though."

Haley nodded and went over to the boys. She wasn't sure exactly what to say, so she threw her arms around Luke, who noticed all at once that despite their modest hideout and melancholy life, she was very beautiful. Haley started to cry softly on his shoulder, and whispered, "Thank you," to all three of them. After what seemed like forever, she let go and went to help Andrew cut up some bread from inside the cabinet.

Caleb raised his eyebrows knowingly and winked at Luke, who punched him playfully in the arm as Blake smiled.

…

**A few hours later…**

Andrew sat at the small table, staring at Professor Pine, waiting for the Haley and the three to fall asleep on the small, rustic beds. He tried to reflect on the course of the day, and decided that it had gone almost perfectly. After all, they had not only escaped the Comets to live another day, but the chosen three had actually come to the island, and they had agreed to help The Resistance. Still, Andrew knew it was much too soon to be celebrating. Blake had been right about one thing before: they had never even heard of Pokémon, and it was going to be a huge challenge to get them used to battling, even if they were the chosen ones. Not to mention, The Raven knew they were there. If they were found, it was all over…

Finally, he heard the boys begin to snore and decided it was safe to talk. "Professor?" the teenager whispered.

"Yes?"

"Earlier… When you were reading the prophecy… I couldn't help but notice that it had changed a little bit. The end was… Different."

The professor avoided Andrew's eyes, glancing over towards the small corridor through which they had entered. "…Yes," he admitted, his inner struggle continuing. "I mean… I couldn't very well reveal the ending to it, could I?"

"I… I guess not," said Andrew, not really satisfied by the professor's answer. "But sir… D- Do you really think it's true? Will the prophecy really happen? I mean, do we really stand a chance? Even though they're here… The prophecy still isn't clear. There are more ifs. Really the only thing the prophecy guarantees is danger, especially at the end."

Professor Pine knew he couldn't answer all of Andrew's questions. He didn't know the true meaning of the prophecy either, and he hated being so secretive about it. "I know…" the professor trailed off. "I suppose… All that I'm sure of is that we have to hide the truth… For now." With that, the professor took the prophecy in his worn old hands. He lifted it up, hands shaking, and carefully and slowly ripped the last sentence off.

"So that's the plan, then?" Andrew questioned. "Just hide the real ending from them until they can't turn back?" He wasn't sure he agreed with the professor on this one.

"For the time being… Yes," stated the professor flatly. "I don't like it either, Andrew, but there are more important things right now. For instance, you need to get some rest. I don't think you've had any in days, and your watch will come before too long."

Andrew nodded knowingly, and walked over to his sleeping bag. He knew he only had four hours before it would be his turn to stand guard, and he needed to make the most of them. He sighed, letting everything sink in, and closed his eyes.

Professor Pine stood and picked up the last sentence of the tattered prophecy and Growlithe's Poké ball. He read over it again, wondering if it could really be true. Shaking his head, the professor walked over to the entryway and slipped into the small passage. He coughed more than once on the layer of dust that lined his way to the fireplace. The ashes from before remained, neglected, like a weed-filled garden, as Professor Pine climbed out of the small duct. He dusted himself off and took the Poké ball containing Growlithe out of the pocket of his dirty lab coat.

'Heh, looks like my trick fireplace is good for two things,' mused the professor to himself. 'Blazing the trail that leads deeper inside, and burning the secrets we're trying to hide.' He still felt awful about lying to the three boys, but… for the time being, it was the only way. If they knew of the danger the last sentence of the prophecy held… the professor knew they would never agree to help. Could you blame them? There was no denying the risk that lay ahead, and Professor Pine knew it.

Resuming his work, Professor Pine placed the last log needed on the fire. Then he tossed the Poké ball in the air.

"Growlithe?" it said, confused. It had thought it was done for the night.

"Growlithe, use ember one more time," commanded the professor, exhausted.

Growlithe didn't know what was going on, but it obeyed, this time igniting the logs on the first try.

"Good job," encouraged the professor, lacking the energy to praise Growlithe any more. He recalled the small orange dog with a sigh and ambled over to the now roaring flames.

"It's for the best," he said aloud to no one but himself, "It's for the best."

With that, Professor Julian Pine tossed the small ripped piece of paper into the fire. He watched it burn for just a moment, mesmerized as the flames licked at the message. His old, wrinkled face stared into the flames, still barely able to make out the end of the prophecy, whether or not it wanted to.

And the charred words were barely there, soon to burn away into nothing. The professor repeated the last few lines to himself, "The heroes will fight both the fire and rain, But in sending this evil far from this domain…"

The professor didn't need to finish. The words on the paper echoed throughout the room, screaming through the old man's head as they burned:

"When all this has passed, only two shall remain."

**A/N: So, hey, whatcha think? Hopefully it's good! Don't worry, there'll be more action in the next chapter, I just figured I needed to explain a few things and it ended up taking up a lot of words. As always, don't forget to review! **


	5. The Empire

The Empire

**A/N: …And here's your proof that I will officially be writing regularly again. Ready for a little more focus on the evil side of things. Enjoy!**

* * *

Vincent Lewis sat in his huge black chair that had become his thinking spot. Letting his mind wander, he glanced around his spacious office. He had never really been one to decorate, and, though the walls were lined with bookshelves and files, the scheme was pretty simple. If not for the mysterious villain sitting at his desk, the room would have seemed downright normal. In fact, the only thing that really stood out on the walls was his prized archery target, pierced right at the bulls-eye by a rigid arrow.

The Raven's mood was one of triumph. Yes, it had been a good day, he concluded. Nothing could have gone wrong. He knew the ship that had pulled ashore was the one containing the three chosen ones. After all, the prophecy had said they would come from the sea. He had dispatched five of his most reliable men to make quick work of whoever left the boat, and he had even sent one of his most trusted field officers, Spike, to supervise them and clean up should anything go wrong. These were his best men, the ones he could count on to get things done. True, it was a little unnerving that these agents hadn't returned to report their victory quite yet, but The Raven knew there was no reason to worry.

A sudden clanking of metal jolted The Raven from his reflections. One of his guardsmen burst into the room and declared loudly:

"Your patrol is back to report, my lord."

"Did I not tell you to knock the last time?!" yelled the dictator, causing the guard to flinch. Recomposing himself and clenching his knuckles, he added, "Very well. Send them in."

Five tired, disheveled people trudged into The Raven's office. Their leader, the watchman, stepped forward, beckoned by The Raven's expecting glare.

"Um… Yes, sir, well… We began monitoring the scene early this morning, sir. Once the boat landed on shore, we hid ourselves in the bushes while the people got off. Then we disposed of them," he began. The anxious man started to tremble, clearly quite nervous of what he was to report next. "After that… We boarded the ship to loot it for anything we could find." There was a catch in the watchman's throat as he continued, "Then… W-We saw… Three boys-"

A large purple vein on The Raven's neck popped out as he jumped to his feet in rage, "You WHAT?"

The four subordinates cringed at the reaction. The watchman went on with his head lowered, trying not to lose his strength, "Yes, sir… We saw three boys swimming away from the ship. We notified Spike as… They swam out of sight."

The Raven was irate. The one day that needed to go perfectly, and there was a hitch in the plan. "Bring me Spike!" he yelled viciously. "Now!"

The four troops quickly exited the dark room, relieved that the brunt of their lord's anger would not be directed on them. The watchman trembled as he exited, approaching Spike as he exited. "He… Wants to see you," was all he could muster.

Never had Spike been so afraid in his life as the moment when he entered The Raven's lair. Trembling, he brushed past the guards and entered.

In the split-second where no one was watching, The Raven pulled out a Poké ball from his belt. Casually, he released it, and a Jolteon appeared. Its dark black eyes glinted in the lamplight of the room, and it growled softly, ready for battle.

"You killed them," stated The Raven flatly, glancing at Spike out of the corner of his eye. "I know you did." It was a statement, not a question. There was no option for failure.

"Well… You see… Tyranitar… It was a little off today," he hesitated, shaking all over as The Raven's eyes turned fiery. "It kept missing, and in the end… The children… They… They got away," he ended, waiting for the backlash.

The Raven, however, became at once considerably calmer. "Oh, did it now? You don't say?" A pause. "Well, now, Spike, you know… You know we can't have incidents like this going on at MaliCorp, don't you? I'm sorry, but…" his eyes turned from angry to bloodthirsty, "this is too big to overlook." The Raven whipped around to face his Jolteon. "Jolteon! Use Thunderbolt!"

Jolteon spurred into action. It leapt into the air and charged its beam. As it landed, a wall of electricity shot out from it, right at Spike's forehead.

"Nooooooo!" Spike's cry echoed through the entire building as all those on that floor winced knowingly. This had happened before, many, many times.

The bolt hit Spike square on, right in the face, but soon, the electricity coursed through his entire body. He did not scream now; the shock would not allow it. The charge stayed, suspended, until Jolteon glanced over at its master, seemingly wondering whether or not to go for the kill. There was no remorse from The Raven, who nodded sinisterly, and Jolteon resumed its work. Spike's body was in panic, overdosing from a drug no human would ever ingest. Then, he passed out, still writhing in complete agony. Finally, as Jolteon carried out its orders, Spike's body dropped, lifeless, on the floor, still shaking slightly. Dead.

Anyone within earshot had witnessed the scene through Spike's shattering cry. The watchman knew from outside that his cue was coming next.

"Body!" screamed The Raven as he recalled Jolteon, who was grinning coolly at the whole event. "Watchman, get your ass in here and clean this up now!"

The watchman entered promptly and obediently, trying his hardest not to look at the corpse that lay at his feet. His expression changed to a panic when The Raven flew at his neck, grabbing his collar violently.

"See to it that this never happens again," hissed The Raven, emphasizing each word carefully. Then, he tossed the watchman off to the side ruthlessly, and left him to clean up the grisly mess.

* * *

Blake awoke the next day to a small, empty room. Stretching groggily, he glanced around him. _That's weird_, he thought. _Where could the others be_? The beds had been abandoned, tattered covers drawn back to reveal the old mattresses underneath. The little sleeping bag lay in a heap, tossed to the side, and the diminishing food supply lay on the counter, deserted.

Blake got up quietly and stepped into the small passageway. He crawled slowly through the grimy tunnel that led back to the old laboratory. Ducking to avoid the proliferating cobwebs, Blake thought things over once more. _They must have gone for a walk or something_, Blake reasoned. _I'm sure I'll find them here somewhere_.

As he poked his head out of the fireplace entrance, Blake's questions were answered. There stood the Professor with his unmistakable scraggly beard, and the other four sat in front of him expectantly. They looked like they had been waiting for him.

"Oh, there you are, Blake," said the Professor, glad he had gotten up. "Come here, we've got something to talk about. We have to make a plan."

"A plan? For what? What's going on?" Blake ambled over and joined the others.

"A plan… To take down Team Comet." Andrew's response soured the light mood. It wasn't the first time it had crossed his mind, though, and he was hungry to go to battle, to fight for their freedom.

"Well… How do we even start?" wondered Luke.

It was a good question. After all, Team Comet controlled the entire island. To Caleb, it seemed like they were like mere stones thrown at a giant skyscraper. Would they really be able to do anything? Did the Comets even have a weak spot? He could understand why the people of the island hadn't fought back.

"I'll tell you how," answered Professor Pine, with more confidence than he felt. "We need to show MaliCorp we mean business. Even though we got you three here safely, they know they still have the upper hand. We have to give them a reason to be scared." The professor was getting more intense as he spoke, his lips moving faster and faster. "Here's what we do: we attack strong. And fast, too, before they see us coming. Let them know they've got a real opponent on their hands. Our first move is to scare the shit out of them."

"Well, alright… but how exactly are we going to do that?" Blake was confused. Maybe the professor had skipped a step.

"I'm glad you asked," replied the older man. He had an idea. "The Petalburg Prison. It's where The Raven keeps all of his most dangerous captives. Mostly… Our friends. They treat prisoners horribly in there. A lot of Pokémon attacks… And we know so many of the captives. There's one in particular… Her name is Emily. She was with the three of us until a few days ago."

"Yeah," added Haley, clearly worried about their friend. "They found her on our lookout patrol, the day we saw your ship coming. She was snatched up when the three of us got separated looking for food. Me and Andrew followed them until we knew for sure where they were headed, but… Petalburg… That's where she is," she finished, frustrated that they had not been able to stop them from taking her.

"So you're saying we attack it and free her?" Caleb had a handle on this now, but he was still dubious. "How do we get in? I'm sure they have the place locked down."

"Well, yes, but I've… been there before myself," Those memories were not good ones for the Professor. He rolled up the sleeve of his lab coat to reveal a nasty burn. "But that also means I know my way around. There's an air ventilation shaft about halfway up this wall on the outside. If we can get in there… I have a plan."

"But wait!" pressed Luke, "We don't even have Pokémon? What are we going to do?"

"Oh, that's right. I can fix that," The professor shuffled over to a charred old lab table where three Poké balls sat. He smiled as his memory took him back. "Back in the day, before the Comets, before all this mess, I was the person new trainers came to see to get their very first Pokémon. I had three for them to choose from: Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Well… the times have changed, but I have three Pokémon left for you, too."

He picked up all three of the Poké balls and released them at the same time. The familiar white light once again filled the room and three forms solidified into place.

One was a small ball. Had it been facing the other way, it would have easily been mistaken for a Poké ball. Its small eyes darted around nervously at its audience, uncertain of what to do. Finally, it gave a nervous cry, "Voltorb!"

The second form was a rather small one. Its white body was slender, coming to a green dome at its head. Two pink disc-looking things stuck out of its head. It planted its feet solidly, ready to receive its trainer. More confident than the last, it spoke at once, "Ralts!"

The final form immediately gave the room an ominous feel. It had the shape of a large dog, but was snow-white except for black claws and a black face. There was a resplendent black sickle protruding from its head, giving it a majestic yet foreboding appearance. Its mane rustled slightly as it spoke with a deep voice, "Absol."

"This is Absol, a dark type. That one is Ralts, a psychic type, and the other one is Voltorb, an electric type."

Blake tried to hide his excitement, but it was too much. He grinned, instantly sure of his choice. Absol was perfect for him, and he went over to pet its forehead. "I'll take this one," he said.

Luke was also drawn to one of the three. The little sparking ball rolling around had caught his attention. Its shy yet playful nature mirrored his own, and he picked it up right away. "I guess this one's mine."

Caleb was drawn to the small one immediately. Its psychic powers intrigued him, and he knew it would be a solid partner if he was ever in trouble. "Then that leaves me with this one," he smiled softly, looking forward to their journey.

"Well, it's settled, then," said the Professor. "We'll leave right away. For now… Train your Pokémon." He looked into their eyes as he spoke, as sincerely as he ever had. "It won't be easy, and at first, they won't be very strong. But we will win. We have to! The prophecy says so, and everyone on this island believes in you. For ten long years the Comets have ruled. But no longer. Now… they'll get what's coming to them."

The three nodded and walked over to the door, gathering what little they had. Andrew and Haley followed suit, and they took the sleeping bag from the other room with them. Professor Pine put all their measly food rations into a small backpack and grabbed their Poké balls.

It was time. The old, white-haired man reopened the passage, slipping his pocketknife in at a certain point, and the door swept to the side. Then, he led the way through the door into the pale light of the morning. The two exhausted rebels followed behind him, spirits hopeful, quickly sliding into the cover of the trees. Finally, three nervous boys recalled their new Pokémon and set off, dashing over to where the other two stood.

Professor Pine did his knife trick again, and the door shut once more. He stared off into the sky, which displayed a cloudy sunrise, the kind he would have liked to look at for a while. He missed the times when he would have spent an entire morning doing just that. Still, he was feeling something he hadn't felt in a long time: hope. Maybe, just maybe, this would happen. With that, the professor rejoined his would-be troops and led them off towards Petalburg City.

* * *

**A/N: Yep, actual battles coming up in the next chapter. Should be pretty great, I feel like I do better with action scenes anyway. Got any feedback for me? I'd love to hear it. Just PM me or review!**


	6. The Jailbreak

The Jailbreak

**A/N: …And on to the action. I'm thinking about maybe putting some reader-inspired OCs in here at some point, but right now I can't really work a bunch of new characters into the plot (Ironically, this chapter features a new character or two). Still, I'll keep you all posted!**

**Also, thanks to Aristomacho for the support! That guy's got quite a story to check out, too, by the way. And now, on with the show…**

* * *

_I am alive. I am a human… and I am alive. I'm waking up today. Here I am. A new day._ A young girl, surely no more than 17 years old, sat on a tiny cot staring at the white wall that had grown very familiar over the course of a week. She began every morning this way. She had to; just to remind herself that this was real, that she could mean something, outside of this damned prison.

_Breathe, girl_, she thought. _Calm down. You've got to stay strong. This won't last forever_. The girl sighed gloomily as a large man approached the bars of her 6 by 10 cell.

"Prisoner number 32756! Report!"

"…Yeah. I'm here." The girl was tired, and in no mood to be bothered.

"Report for duty! You will brush the master's Glameow until it shines." The guard opened the bars and shoved the unhappy cat inside the cell. Glameow hissed sourly. It hated being brushed almost as much as 32756 hated brushing it.

"I will not." The captive looked straight into her tormentor's eyes. "I've had enough of this stupid cat!"

"What?!" yelled the man. "That was not a question! You will obey at once!"

"No," said the girl simply, refusing to back down.

"Then you leave me no choice. Go, Cyndaquil, Ember!" The scowling man sent out his Pokémon in a flash of white light, and it immediately shot an orange flame at the prisoner's back.

Try though she might to stifle her cry of pain, 32756 was in agony. Her body convulsed violently as the flames licked her back. Then she collapsed on the floor, and the fire went out.

"That'll teach you to defy orders," spat the guard, grimacing angrily. "Cyndaquil, stay here and blast her if she stops." He turned back to the poor girl, who was almost in tears. "Call for me when you've finished." With that, the huge man walked away, leaving the aching girl to her work.

_No, you can't cry!_ The girl was determined to stay tough. _You're Emily Roark, for God's sake! You have something to live for! Soon someone will come to rescue you, and everything will be okay…_

A threatening snarl from Cyndaquil snapped Emily out of her mental pep talk. Glaring at the small fire Pokémon, she took Glameow in her arms and began brushing it with the brush the guard had tossed in her cell. _Oh, please let the prophecy be true… _she begged no one in particular as she prepared for her unpleasant work.

Seconds later, the sound of a screeching Glameow could be heard throughout the halls of Petalburg Prison.

* * *

Luke Pierce sat on a giant, smooth rock, feeling freer than he had ever felt in his life. The troop had stopped for the night to rest in a small cave overlooking the valley where Petalburg Prison was, but no one was up yet except Luke. Hair rustling in the breeze, the tired teen took a deep breath. This had been his first chance since they started this arduous trek across the island to take a step back and reflect.

It had been four days since they left the professor's hideout, and since then life had been anything but simple. As Luke's stomach rumbled, he was reminded of how little the group had been eating since the journey began.

The walking hadn't exactly been pleasant, either. As they hiked miles and miles of the hilly landscape, they couldn't help but notice the debris that lay everywhere. The Comets had torn up the land, destroying buildings and cracking the very earth they walked on. It hadn't been an easy trip, not by a long shot.

Still, life wasn't all bad for the rebels. Luke had certainly enjoyed getting to know Voltorb a little better. He had learned some of its attacks, and even practiced battling a few times against Caleb and his Ralts. And to make things even better, Luke had found a battered old book with blank pages in one of the piles of debris. He'd decided right away to keep a journal, like he always did back home. It would make him feel more comfortable, even though his life had been turned upside-down in a matter of days.

Now, Luke opened the small book and took out the pencil that was stuck in the binding. _Now's as good a time as ever_, he thought, racking his brain for how to begin.

_Luke Pierce's Journal, Day 1_, he wrote in scraggly writing. Yes, that was a good way to start it off.

_Today… I feel… _Luke stopped. How did he feel? He thought for a moment. _I feel nervous. _Luke was used to telling his journal everything, as if it could somehow listen. He told it the obvious stuff that anyone would notice, and the secrets that he wouldn't tell even his best friends.

_I'm nervous because I'm in more danger that I've ever been in my life. I'm fighting to save an island that I didn't even know existed a week ago. I don't know the people who live here yet, or really anything about them. _Luke paused again. He couldn't leave it at that.

_And yet… there's something special about these people. They're kind and considerate, and they'll do anything to help each other. I think… I'll end up becoming really close to them. I just get this feeling that I'll be okay if I stick with them._

Luke picked up his pencil one more time and started a new paragraph. _Still, I'm glad for one thing. Just like always, I've got Caleb and Blake here with me. I don't know what I'd do without them right now… Those are the kind of friends you'd die for. _

_Bye for now, _

_Luke_

Luke liked to keep his journal entries short and sweet. He hadn't mentioned Voltorb or the prison attack, but he could save that stuff for tomorrow.

A sudden poke in the arm startled Luke, and he almost leapt off of the boulder.

"Why so jumpy?" asked a soft, sweet voice that flowed smooth as a river. Luke turned, heart still racing, to see Haley standing there with a smile on her face. "You're gonna have to calm down a little for the mission today," she said, climbing up on the rock to join him.

"Shut up." Luke gave her a playful shove as she sat down. "You try leaving your entire life behind. Not to mention being trapped in a new world full of evil dictators, crazy creatures, and action at every turn."

"I'd say you're taking it pretty well," said Haley, long brown hair fluttering in the morning breeze.

"I'd say I'd be doing a lot better if there was more food around here." Luke squinted as the sun peeked above the distant mountaintops.

Haley chuckled softly. "Yeah… You get used to that part. And the walking. And Andrew. It all grows on you after a while." The two teenagers sat there in silence for a couple minutes, just watching the world wake up around them.

"I just don't know…" Luke spoke, breaking the silence.

"What's wrong?" she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I just feel like… There's a lot to live up to, you know?" Luke felt oddly comfortable around this girl, despite having met her just five days ago. He went on, "I mean, the prophecy says we'll just swoop in and save the day but… What if we don't? What if we just suck at all this?" He paused. "I'm sorry, it's just all so new right now."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. You and your friends are definitely the ones the prophecy talks about. That right there makes you special to everyone on this island." Haley could tell Luke was still bothered. She looked into his light brown eyes. "It all gets easier from here, I promise." A pang of uncertainty rang in Haley's mind. She hated to make promises she couldn't keep.

"Thanks," he said genuinely, although his mind was still a little uneasy. "Hey, do you know what time we're leaving?"

"Now." This voice came from inside the small rock outcropping. Andrew stepped into the pale sunlight with a crusty slice of bread, which he broke in half and gave to the two of them. "Ready to go?" he asked as the others shuffled out of the small cave.

"Let's do this." Luke was as worried as he had ever been in his life, but he wasn't going to show it. _Just trust the Pokémon_, he thought as the group set off.

Professor Pine quickly led the way down the small cliff, passing several dangerous, sharp rocks, and paused to look at the building from the cover of some bushes. The Petalburg Prison was in the middle of an immense meadow, and the plentiful green grass contrasted with the drab gray of the concrete building. Eyeing a small metal grate a few feet up on the wall, he got the others' attention and pointed, "Follow my lead."

With that, the professor scanned the field. Seeing no one, he hissed, "One at a time," and sprinted to the cover of the wall.

Once all of the rebels were over to the wall, the professor silently tossed his Pokéball, releasing his Skuntank. "Quickly now, onto its back."

Caleb scrambled up onto Skuntank, and unscrewed the grate with ease. He quickly removed the vent and lifted himself up inside it. Then he leaned out and helped the others in. Professor Pine was the last one inside, and he quietly recalled Skuntank as they crawled further inside.

"Jeez, what the hell is that?" whispered Andrew. No one had to ask what he meant. The screeching cat noise resembled nails on a chalkboard, and the operatives could barely stand it. "…Anyway, what's the plan?"

"Alright, Haley," said the professor decidedly. "Send Shroomish out and give them a Stun Spore. Press it up right next to that vent, where that guard is."

Haley smiled, acknowledging the professor's plan. Then she obliged, noiselessly calling her Shroomish out of its Poké ball. It was her only Pokémon, and she treasured it. She looked in Shroomish's eyes and whispered, "Stun Spore, on that opening over there."

Shroomish hopped over to the small grate and shot a yellowy powder out of its head. The attack formed into a mist and seeped through the vent.

Looking down, Blake saw a guard, casually eating a sandwich. As the yellow powder reached him, he wrinkled his nose at first. Then, as he realized what was happening, he opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The paralyzed man fell to the ground, motionless.

"This way!" directed Caleb, and the group silently crawled down the air duct, following the Stun Spore wave as it moved down the hallway. Several guards sniffed the odd scent at the same time and soon crashed to the ground.

"Now, let's drop out of here and find Emily." The man in the old lab coat punched out one of the grates, which hit a paralyzed guard in the head. He dropped down to the ground swiftly, and motioned for the others to do the same. "Okay, Haley, Caleb, Blake, you look off this way. I'll take Luke and Andrew down this hallway. We're looking for Emily or for anyone else we know. But stay on the lookout for trouble!"

The two groups nodded and parted ways. Andrew led his half down the hallway, passing each cell looking for friends. He and the others explored all the offshoots of the main walkway, searching without success for signs of their allies. Somewhere far away, the screaming animal quieted down as Stun Spore took effect, and Andrew smiled for the first time all day. The tough boy grimaced as they stopped a moment to look into one of the cells.

"A bloodstain…" said Luke, horrified.

Doing his best to compose himself, Andrew tried to think like a spy. _Be smart,_ he silently commanded himself. _Don't let this mission slip away from you. _Still, something struck him as strange. _That's odd_, he thought. _All the cells this way are empty…_

As if hearing Andrew's thoughts, Luke spoke up, "Where is everyone? Didn't you say this place was full up, Professor?"

"Yes… Very unusual… I don't like it one-"

"Professor! Where's that door go?" Andrew said abruptly. "It looks like a big room!" The hallway where they were walking had a lone door at the end. It was true; the door that stood before them was huge and made of solid wood. No Stun Spore would get through there.

"Oh, that's just the cafeteria," the professor frowned in disgust. "The disgusting slop they serve in there… When I was here they used to take half of us at a time in there and give us each a little bowl of… Oh _shit_!" he realized as he put two and two together. That's where everyone was: the cafeteria! And there were guards in there too, no doubt. "Quick, we have to go back for the others!"

Just as the three guys turned to run the other way, the massive door swung open with a loud creak. Out walked a couple guys in pristine guard uniforms, laughing and talking with each other.

The group froze just as the pair of workers noticed them. "Hey! Who the hell are you?" shouted one of them.

"Wait," snarled the other one, his face now taking on a much more serious look. He seemed the more important of the two; his uniform was much more decorated and he wore a nameplate, unlike the other guards they had seen. "I know exactly who you are. It's been a while… Julian Pine... Number 28601. I remember it like it was yesterday."

* * *

Haley walked down the other hallway with Caleb and Blake, trying her best to ignore the dismal prison atmosphere. Most of the prisoners this way had clearly been affected by Stun Spore, and their faces were left in awkward expressions. It was the kind of thing she would have laughed at in a different situation, but then this was no everyday mission.

She pointed out a couple familiar faces to the other two as they walked along, releasing the locks on their cages and resolving to come back later for them. The group pressed on, searching for a few more minutes with no luck.

Finally, something caught her eye on the next to last cell in the hall. Was that… A Glameow? Haley stopped for a moment to examine the cell. Wait, it couldn't be… That hunched-over girl rubbing her forehead in confusion… _That's her! _she thought.

Immediately Haley threw open the door to the cage and ran in to embrace the girl.

"Emily?" questioned Haley as the half-conscious girl woke up just enough to recognize her.

"Haley!" Emily hadn't seen anyone she cared about in days. She couldn't stop herself from crying out. Then concern swept over her face. "Where's Andrew? Did they take him too? And who are these boys? How did you get here? How are we going to get out of-"

Emily's questions were cut off as the four teenagers heard a yell come from the direction the others had gone.

"Hey! Who the hell are you?"

The group exchanged worried expressions and sprinted off in the direction of the noise, rounding the corner to the other hallway in a matter of seconds. Right away they noticed the guards standing there, and two more walked out of the door as they watched. There were four guards who hadn't been hit by Stun Spore. Both sides were thinking battle, and they knew it. This was about to get ugly, and fast.

Bright white light soon engulfed the room from all directions.

"Go, Glaceon!"

"Let's go, Donphan!"

"It's all you, Haunter."

"Alright Croconaw, let's show them what you've got." The head guard was ready for action.

The four Pokémon formed a seemingly impenetrable wall that separated the rebels from the prison guards. At once, all six of the intruders reached for their Poké balls. It was time.

"Go, Voltorb!" yelled Luke. He was full of nervous adrenaline, but was still anxious to get on with the battle.

"Tauros, go!" Professor Pine offered. Another thought struck him, "Blake, keep Absol with you for now. He's our getaway car." Blake nodded and backed up to check for their exit route as the tension mounted.

"Go, Growlithe." Andrew knew he was headed straight for the Glaceon.

"Ralts, let's go!" Caleb raced up towards the others and released his new Pokémon. He didn't like their chances too well. These Pokémon had been well trained, and he had gotten his only days ago! How could he and his friends compete?

"Shroomish, we need you!" cried Haley as she threw her Poké ball.

With all Pokémon released, the hallway boomed with a flurry of commands.

"Haunter, Shadow Ball!"

"Ralts, use Confusion!"

"Ember, Growlithe!"

The other voices were lost as the battle began to rage. Donphan was the first to move, spinning faster and faster while rolling straight at Voltorb. Tearing up the immaculate floor, it connected with a direct hit, and Voltorb was sent flying towards one of the cells. "Vol… Torb," it buzzed, and fainted on the spot. Luke gasped, horrified, and ran over to it, dodging a Tauros Stomp attack as he went.

Glaceon sent an Ice Beam hurling right at Ralts, but Growlithe's Ember attack deflected it towards an interior wall. As the ice crystals hit it, the wall came crashing down, shaking the foundation of the building and leaving rock shards lying everywhere. The Team Comet leader winced. They were going to have some cleanup to do after this one.

Caleb breathed a sigh of relief as Ralts leapt into action. It focused, glaring right at Croconaw as its psychic powers worked. The water Pokémon launched a Hydro Pump, but at that moment it became confused, and uncontrollably turned towards its side as another unfortunate wall took a heavy dose of Pokémon power.

Tauros and Shroomish went flying towards the enemy. The little mushroom Pokémon was dashing for Donphan with all of its might, readying a Headbutt attack. Luckily, the Donphan was turned around, but it managed to whip itself around to smack Shroomish in the face as the three Pokémon collided. When the dust cleared, only Tauros got back up, heavily damaged by the attack. The other two just lay there silently, knocked out by the impact.

Haunter's attack missed altogether, and it almost hit its ally, Croconaw.

"Watch it!" snapped the leader, "You're going to lose this for us!"

The poor Haunter didn't have time to recover. A scorching Flame Wheel headed for it, courtesy of Growlithe, and it braced for the hit.

Thinking quickly, its trainer called, "Destiny Bond!"

Haunter rapidly veiled itself in a swirling purple aura that engulfed Growlithe, too. The Flame Wheel was a direct hit, and Haunter collapsed, exhausted. At the same time, Growlithe started to go weak. It didn't know what was going on, but all of a sudden its knees gave out and it fainted on the spot. Disappointed, Andrew recalled his Pokémon and retreated to the back of the group.

Tauros charged back to the front lines, heading straight for Croconaw, but Glaceon was faster. An Aurora Beam cut Tauros off and threw it against its trainer. This time, Tauros could not recover, and its distant eyes rolled as it fainted.

Just then, things took a turn for the terrible. "Slash!" screamed the decorated leader, and Croconaw charged straight at… was it Tauros? In that instant, Professor Pine recalled Tauros and stood up. He turned sharply, ready to call another Pokémon, but Croconaw closed in, vicious claws raking his body. Completely unguarded, the professor staggered towards the prison guards before fainting himself in the middle of the battlefield.

Croconaw turned on a dime and sprinted back towards its trainer, picking up Pine's barely conscious body and returning to its own evil side.

"No!" shrieked Luke. They had to get the professor back! He was their leader, what would they do without him? Luke took two steps towards the Comet grunts, but Andrew grabbed him and pulled him back with his usual all-business look. Those mission-minded eyes stopped Luke with one glance, and he backed off to help lead the rebels out of the prison.

By then, Ralts, Glaceon, and Croconaw were the only ones left.

"Glaceon, Ice Beam!"

"Croconaw, Water Pulse!"

"Umm…" Caleb racked his brain for a way to defend himself. He knew his brand new Ralts couldn't take on two Pokémon. Finally, it hit him. He picked up Ralts, jogged away from the battle, and roared, "Protect!", kneeling down to prepare for their attacks to come.

The whole time, the other rebels were backing up, just as planned. The front door of the prison was the only non-air duct way to get in or out, and that was their primary goal. Step by step, they were nearing the hallway that led to the exit as the gigantic battle ravaged the prison's structure.

Emily, on the other hand, rushed around frantically, looking for friendly prisoners and her own Pokémon, which had been confiscated upon her capture. She rummaged through desk drawers back at the guard station, throwing each one open carelessly, and finally found the one labeled 'Prisoner Pokémon.'

Each Poké ball was labeled by prisoner number. _Think, Emily!_ She demanded. _Which one was your number again?_ The drawer was full of trapped Pokémon. Hers had to be in there somewhere! _32754, 32755… Here it is! 32756!_ She half-smiled in triumph and picked up her beloved Poké ball as a massive explosion of attacks came from the battle, rocketing her into the wall.

"Come on!" screamed Haley. "Let's go, we have to get out of here!"

Emily looked over to see Haley motioning toward the exit door. Out of the corner of her eye, she was horrified to see that Professor Pine had been taken by the brutes. He had three sizeable scrape wounds on his chest and looked to be in pain. Filled with anger, she had half a mind to take them on herself, narrowing her eyes and sprinting in the direction of both the exit and the battle.

With his last remaining seconds before the professor passed out again in one of the Comet peons' arms, he winced but made eye contact with Emily. As the other intruders fled for the exit and the Comets commanded another attack, he mouthed four words soundlessly to her that made her heart sink: _Go… I'll be okay._

Saddened but determined, Emily nodded, whipping to her left down the hallway that led out of this hellhole. As she ran, she barely dodged a Croconaw Water Pulse, which flew down the hallway behind her to rip a big hole in the prison's outer wall.

Blake was in escape mode. He was already at the door, and he threw it open, holding it for Haley, Andrew, and Luke as they shot past him.

"Go, Absol. We need you to get us out of here," he cried as he launched the Poké ball out the door into the midday sunlight. Then a terrible thought occurred to him, "Wait! There's not enough room for all of us to ride on Absol! What now?"

"Got it," said Emily, busting through the door and tossing her own Poké ball for the first time since she had entered that damned prison. A shiny gray bird appeared, its sharp wings ready to take off. Long neck tilted to one side, it crooned, "Skarmory!" Emily looked back to Blake as she and Andrew hopped onto Skarmory's back and it began its takeoff.

"Wait!" screamed Caleb as he dashed out of the door. The explosion his Ralts had caused while defending with Protect had sent him careening to the ground, and it was all he could do to make it out at all. He swiftly called Ralts back to the safety of its Poké ball. Skarmory was flapping its wings and had already barely lifted off as he made a beeline for its legs.

"Jump!" called Andrew as Skarmory skirted along the ground. With all his strength, Caleb lunged for Skarmory's tail, grabbing ahold of the very last bladelike feather. Now ten feet off the ground, Caleb struggled, but was able to pull himself up onto the crowded Pokémon along with the other two.

Blake nodded approvingly as he raced towards Absol. The great white creature braced itself as Haley, Luke and Blake jumped on. Not a second later, it charged off towards the cover of the bushes as an Ice Beam whizzed past its head from a gaping hole in the concrete building. As Luke glanced back at the prison, it was a shell of the towering construction they had seen this morning. Part of it had collapsed in on one side, and several prisoners were attempting to escape from what now appeared to be several holes.

Still, each of the rebels' hearts was beating a mile a minute. They were hardly safe, still in the open with attacks flying at them from down below. After what seemed like a minute but was really only a few more seconds, both Pokémon reached the safety of the surrounding forest, and they slowed down to catch their breath.

"Shit!" yelled the Come commander, standing just outside of the prison, enraged at their escape. His heart was pounding now. What would they tell The Raven? …Nothing, he decided. He knew how that man was. They'd be dead on the spot. Calling the remaining non-paralyzed guards, he hissed ferociously, "This is how things went down today: the professor tried to pull a fast one and take some prisoners, but he was the ONLY one here. No prisoners were lost and we captured him. No one breathes a WORD of this to anyone, got it?" All of the other guards nodded violently as the tired man sighed. Maybe he would spend some time with his prized Glameow. Maybe that could save this terrible day from being ruined.

After a couple seconds, the leader's attention went back to Professor Pine, who lay barely awake on the tile floor. He smiled malevolently, "It's good to see you again, 28601. I think we're going to have a lot of fun together this time."

With that, Professor Pine's eyes dropped back into his head as he once again lost consciousness.

* * *

**A/N: A nice long chapter, eh? Hopefully that battle there was enough to get your blood pumping a little. If you don't mind, hit me up with a review real quick and let me know what you think of this chapter, or just the story in general.**

**Also, I think I know what most people will think about this, but I'm thinking about working some OCxOC romance into this thing. Just wanted to know how everyone feels about that. Drop me a review or PM me and let me know. Cool? Thanks, everyone!**

**P.S. 20,000 words! I'm proud of it.**


	7. The Intermission

The Intermission

**A/N: So, now this is a message to all my readers that the last message is over! Pretty much, I'm done revising Chapter 1 (go read it, there's an important new scene), and it's a lot better now.  
**

**That's why I'm going to keep writing now! The real Chapter 7 is in the works and I can't wait to post it.  
**

**One more thing for everyone who sees this: I'm now accepting OCs! So, if you're reading this and you want to have an OC in the story, PM me in this format:  
**

**Name:  
**

**Age:  
**

**Appearance:  
**

**Personality:  
**

**Pokemon (Starter and/or other ones):  
**

**Talents (Besides Pokemon):**

**Background Info:  
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**Preferred role in the story (I make no guarantees with this one):  
**

**Questions:  
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**Just a small warning to anyone who PMs me an OC, I will only include serious OCs with all this information included.  
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**Also, I will *try* to include all the OCs I get, but I don't want to make any promises. Still, send me one! I'll probably put him/her in there somewhere.  
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**Thanks everyone, and happy writing!  
**


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